Romanian authorities confirmed a new record number of coronavirus cases on Friday, reporting 799 new infections in the past day.
The Strategic Communication Group said 18,896 tests were carried out in the last 24 hours.
Romania has consistently recorded new daily records this past week as testing has also increased. Some 4.21% of those tested came out positive.
There has now been a cumulative total of 35,802 cases since the virus first started spreading across Europe in February.
Some 17 patients succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 1,988.
There were 17 deaths in the past day, raising the death count to 1,988.
The record number of cases comes after Parliament approved a bill that will allow authorities to quarantine people who have tested positive for the virus, either in hospitals or at home, depending on the severity of their symptoms. They can also order arrivals from high-risk countries to quarantine.
Of the total new cases, 105 were in the southern county of Arges, a favorite tourist destination which has seen a spike in recent weeks. Bucharest reported 76 new cases and Prahova county, another tourist spot, saw 73, a spike of almost 8% in a single day.
There are 273 patients being treated in intensive-care units, one of the highest figures ever.
In the meantime, some 24,600 patients have recovered, the government said.
The number of coronavirus cases have soared after lockdown restrictions were eased and people began to resume their pre-pandemic activities.
Face masks are mandatory in indoor public places, but the rules aren’t always respected. Some people say they are tired of the restrictions after months of lockdown, while others don’t believe the virus exists.
Social distancing rules are widely disregarded.
